Paper container

ABSTRACT

A paper container includes a body and a contact layer. The body includes a bottom wall and a side wall. The side wall includes a covering portion and a supporting portion. An end of the covering portion surrounds the bottom wall so as to form an interior space. The supporting portion is integrally connected with the end of the covering portion and extends outwardly. The contact layer surrounds the covering portion. The contact layer includes a rugged inner surface and a fiat outer surface. The rugged inner surface includes a plurality of protruding portions formed thereon, and the protruding portions are adhered to the covering portion so as to form a plurality of air channels between the covering portion and the contact layer.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 103203965 filed Mar. 7, 2014, which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a paper container. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a paper container providing a heat insulation effect.

2. Description of Related Art

In response to the hectic pace of modern life, eating out has become normal. Accordingly, a variety of disposable containers are widely used. The disposable containers currently available can be generally divided into two categories according to the material. One category is plastic disposable containers, and the other category is paper disposable containers. With the environmental awareness raised, the paper disposable containers, such as paper cups, paper bowls and paper meal boxes, gradually replace the plastic disposable containers and become the mainstream.

In the aforementioned paper disposable containers, the paper cups and paper bowls for containing fluids are usually formed as a tapered structure, i.e. the paper cups and paper bowls are tapered from top to bottom. An opening is formed on the top of the tapered structure for allowing fluids to flow into or flow out the tapered structure. However, the heat insulation effect of the paper disposable container is limited. When a user holds the paper disposable container containing a high temperature fluid, the user tends to be scalded due to the high temperature. Alternately, the high temperature fluid may be spilled due to the user cannot stably hold the paper disposable container, and the risk of being scalded of the user is enhanced.

How to improve the structure of the paper disposable container so as to enhance the heat insulation effect and enhance the safety for protecting the users has become an important goal to be achieved by the related industries.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a paper container includes a body and a contact layer. The body includes a bottom wall and a side wall. The side wall includes a covering portion and a supporting portion. An end of the covering portion surrounds the bottom wall so as to form an interior space. The supporting portion is integrally connected with the end of the covering portion and extends outwardly. The contact layer surrounds the covering portion. The contact layer includes a rugged inner surface and a flat outer surface. The rugged inner surface includes a plurality of protruding portions formed thereon, and the protruding portions are adhered to the covering portion so as to form a plurality of air channels between the covering portion and the contact layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a paper container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the paper container taken along a line 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the paper container taken along a line 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a developed view of the paper container in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a paper container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a paper container according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a paper container according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a paper container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the paper container taken along a line 2-2 in FIG. 1. The paper container includes a body 100 and a contact layer 200.

The body 100 includes a bottom wall 110 and a side wall 120. The side wall 120 includes a covering portion 121 and a supporting portion 122. An end of the covering portion 121 surrounds the bottom wall 110 so as to form an interior space 130. The interior space 130 is for containing drinks, soups, foods or other objects. The supporting portion 122 is integrally connected with the end of the covering portion 121 and extends outwardly. When the paper container is uprightly placed on other objects, such as on a table, the paper container contacts with the table via an end of the supporting portion 122 which is not connected with the covering portion 121. In other words, a flatness of the end of the supporting portion 122 which contacts with the table influences a stability of placement.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the paper container taken along a line 3-3 in FIG. 1. The contact layer 200 surrounds the covering portion 121 of the side wall 120. The contact layer 200 includes a rugged inner surface 210 and a flat outer surface 220. The rugged inner surface 210 includes a plurality of protruding portions 211 formed thereon. The protruding portions 211 are adhered to the covering portion 121 via adhesives (not shown), so that a plurality of air channels 140 are formed between the covering portion 121 and the contact layer 200. In the embodiment, the contact layer 200 includes an inner layer 230 and an outer layer 240. The inner layer 230 and the outer layer 240 are adhered together via adhesives (not shown). The rugged inner surface 210 is an inner surface of the inner layer 230. The flat outer surface 220 is an outer surface of the outer layer 240. A plurality of air channels 150 are formed between the inner layer 230 and the outer layer 240, and a heat insulation effect is enhanced accordingly.

The contact layer 200 can completely or partially cover the covering portion 121 of the side wall 120. In principle, an area of the contact layer 200 covering the covering portion 121 should be adequate for providing a user to hold the paper container via the contact layer 200. A pattern (not shown) can be printed on the flat outer surface 220 so as to increase an aesthetic sense.

According to the above description, the paper container according to the present disclosure has advantages as follows. First, when a high temperature fluid is contained in the paper container, the high temperature fluid directly contacts with the covering portion 121. Accordingly, the heat of the high temperature fluid is directly conducted to the outside by the covering portion 121. By surrounding the covering portion 121 with the contact layer 200, the heat insulation effect can be enhanced due to a thickness of the contact layer 200. Furthermore, a thermal conductivity of air is much smaller than a thermal conductivity of paper. Therefore, the heat insulation effect can be further enhanced by forming the air channels 140 between the covering portion 121 and the contact layer 200. Second, two ends of each of the air channels 140 are open in the embodiment. Therefore, the heat of the high temperature fluid can be dissipated by the convection of the air in the air channels 140, so that the heat conducted to the contact layer 200 can be reduced. As a result, the heat insulation effect can be further enhanced. Third, the contact layer 200 is adhered to the covering portion 121 via adhesives, so that the contact layer 200 loosing from the covering portion 121 can be avoided when the user holds the contact layer 200. Therefore, a stable protective effect can be provided. Fourth, due to the heat of the high temperature fluid is directly conducted to the outside by the covering portion 121, the user will not be scalded by touching the supporting portion 122. Therefore, when the contact layer 200 only covers the covering portion 121 and does not cover the supporting portion 122, a sufficient safety is provided, and the area of the contact layer 200 can be reduced so as to save costs at the same time. Fifth, the contact layer 200 does not cover the supporting portion 122, and the stability of placement of the paper container does not be influenced by a flatness of an edge of the contact layer 200. When the contact layer 200 covers the covering portion 121 and the supporting portion 122, the stability of placement reduced by the contact layer 200 should be prevented. Therefore, a flatness of the edge of the contact layer 200 is in need of being enhanced, i.e., a cutting precision for cutting the contact layer 200 is in need of being enhanced, Furthermore, when the contact layer 200 is adhered to the supporting portion 122, an edge of the contact layer 200 is in need of being completely aligned with the end the supporting portion 122 which contacts with the table. In other words, a difficulty of alignment is increased significantly. Therefore, when the contact layer 200 only covers the covering portion 121 and does not cover the supporting portion 122, the manufacturing difficulty can be reduced, and the manufacturing yield can be enhanced.

FIG. 4 is a developed view of the paper container in FIG. 1. In the embodiment, the bottom wall 110 is circular, and the side wall 120 is fan-shaped. The contact layer 200 is also fan-shaped. A length L1 of the end of the covering portion 121 connecting the bottom wall 110 is shorter than a length L2 of the other end of the covering portion 121, so that the body 100 is tapered from top to bottom. Specifically, due to the fact that the side wall 120 is fan-shaped, the length L1 herein refers to an inner arc length of a fan, and the length L2 herein refers to an outer arc length of the fan. The protruding portions 211 of the rugged inner surface 210 of the contact layer 200 are formed in strips, and the depressions between the protruding portions 211 form the air channels 140 after adhering the protruding portions 211 to the covering portion 121. The air can flow smoothly in the depressions due to the shape of the protruding portions 211. In other embodiments, the protruding portions 211 can be formed in wave-like strips.

In FIG. 1, when a height of the body 100 is H, and a maximum width of the body 100 is W, the following relationship can be satisfied: 0.3<HMI<1. Therefore, the ratio of the height and the maximum width of the body 100 is smaller than that of a conventional disposable cup, i.e. the shape of the body 100 is dumpier. When the contact layer 200 detachably surrounds the body 100 and is not adhered to the covering portion 121 via adhesives, the contact layer 200 cannot stably surround the body 100 and tends to loose from the body 100 in the ratio of the height and the maximum width of the body 100. Therefore, when the aforementioned relationship is satisfied, a stable protective effect can be provided by adhering the contact layer 200 to the covering portion 121 via adhesives.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a paper container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The enlarged part of the paper container in FIG. 5 is the same as that in FIG. 3. In the embodiment, a contact layer 200 is a monolayer structure. Therefore, the manufacturing process of the contact layer 200 can be simplified.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a paper container according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure. A covering portion (not labeled) of the paper container includes a protruding rim 123, and the protruding rim 123 is located at the end of the covering portion which is not connected with a bottom wall (not labeled). In the embodiment, the protruding rim 123 is integrated with the covering portion, and a contact layer 200 is abutted with the protruding rim 123. Therefore, the contact layer 200 can be preferably positioned.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a paper container according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. The covering portion (not labeled) of the paper container includes a protruding rim 123, and the protruding rim 123 is located at the end of the covering portion which is not connected with a bottom wall (not labeled). In the embodiment, the protruding rim 123 is integrated with the covering portion, and a separation distance is between the contact layer 200 and the protruding rim 123. Therefore, the air channels (not shown) are communicated with the outside, and the air in the air channels can flow smoothly. Accordingly, the heat can be easily dissipated.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A paper container, comprising: a body, comprising: a bottom wall; and a side wall comprising a covering portion and a supporting portion, wherein an end of the covering portion surrounds the bottom wall so as to form an interior space, and the supporting portion is integrally connected with the end of the covering portion and extends outwardly; and a contact layer surrounding the covering portion, wherein the contact layer comprises a rugged inner surface and a flat outer surface, the rugged inner surface comprises a plurality of protruding portions formed thereon, and the protruding portions are adhered to the covering portion so as to form a plurality of air channels between the covering portion and the contact layer.
 2. The paper container of claim 1, wherein the contact layer completely covers the covering portion of the side wall.
 3. The paper container of claim 1, wherein the contact layer partially covers the covering portion of the side wall.
 4. The paper container of claim 1, wherein the covering portion comprises a protruding rim located at the other end of the covering portion.
 5. The paper container of claim 4, wherein the contact layer is abutted with the protruding rim.
 6. The paper container of claim 1, wherein a pattern is printed on the flat outer surface.
 7. The paper container of claim 1, wherein a height of the body is H, a maximum width of the body is W, and the following relationship is satisfied: 0.3<H/W<1.
 8. The paper container of claim 7, wherein a length of the end of the covering portion is shorter than a length of the other end of the covering portion, and the body is tapered.
 9. The paper container of claim 7, wherein the covering portion comprises a protruding rim located at the other end of the covering portion.
 10. The paper container of claim 7, wherein the contact layer is abutted with the protruding rim. 